A Bird's-Eye View of Palmetto Dunes

February 2018

Our camera is currently down while we work on a few repairs and improvements. (Get ready for audio and night vision!) We hope to have it online again just in time for this year's nesting season. We lost a great deal of last year's nest during a tropical storm, but Oprah and Oscar have already been spotted in the area and we're hopeful they'll be rebuilding soon!

June 2017

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Upon our return to the island after Hurricane Matthew, we were devastated by the damage and tree loss. When we arrived at our community, we were heartbroken yet again to find that the Opsrey nest located high above Palmetto Dunes on top of the water tower was gone - it had blown away during the storm.

The nest had belonged to a pair of Ospreys who would mate and nest there annually, and our plans for a live wildlife camera with which to share the daily activities of these special creatures were dashed. While we buckled down and focused on storm recovery below the tower, the nest platform sat empty for months.

In January, Broad Creek Public Service District began their water tower rehabilitation project to include relocation of the antennas and equipment to the top of the tower as well as a fresh coat of paint for the entire exterior. We were sure that with all the commotion, our Ospreys would certainly not be back for quite some time, if ever.

To our surprise, we noticed a couple sticks appear upon the platform a few weeks into BCPSD's project. Slowly, nest material was built up while the contractors drilled, welded, sandblasted, and painted just a few feet below. Last week we finally spotted the pair of Ospreys who have been working so hard on it.

We're thrilled to be able to share out live stream so everyone has the opportunity to see our new residents up close and learn more about these magnificent birds.